MM3rdQB: Winless 2008 Lions may get company in NFL history books

While the Detroit Lions were clawing out a 24-21 victory in Tampa on Sunday to keep their playoffs hopes alive, a thousand miles to the north a game with different implications was unfolding.

The winless Cleveland Browns appeared to be on the brink of beating the visiting Green Bay Packers, but surrendered a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns that led to overtime, where the Packers won.

It left the Browns at 0-13, and they're a serious threat to join the 2008 Lions as the only teams in NFL history to go 0-16. The league moved to a 16 game schedule in 1978.

The Browns have three games left: at home against Baltimore next Sunday, then road games at Chicago and Pittsburgh. While it's possible they upset the Bears at Soldier Field, their sole legit hope to avoid a winless season is if Pittsburgh benches its starters in the season finale in preparation for the playoffs, and then it's still just a maybe.

The 2008 Lions season was the franchise's nadir, but it led to subsequent modest success. The Lions capitalized on their historically poor performance to draft quarterback Matthew Stafford, who in nine seasons since has set every notable team passing record. Detroit has made the playoffs three times in the past six seasons, losing all three but at least being good enough to qualify.

That should be a hopeful template for the Browns, right? Do it the Lions Way!

Wrong. Going 0-16 is just the latest chapter in a Browns horror story that doesn't appear to offer hope, redemption or absolution for anyone involved.

Cleveland is 1-28 over the past two seasons, and is 4-41 since the start of the 2015 season. They've lost 10 or more games in 15 of 18 seasons since returning to the NFL in 1999. They're 84-213 (.283) since then, an amazing 129 games under .500. Winless is just another variation of endless, hopeless bad. The draft picks are mostly squandered.

The Lions since 1999 are 111-190 (.369). Bad, but not Browns bad, and decent in recent years.

While Detroit fans bemoan their lot in life — there's been plenty to complain about, certainly — they suffer far less dysfunction on Sundays than their counterparts in Cleveland.

The Browns have had eight full-time head coaches since 1999 and nine general managers. The Lions have had six full-time head coaches and four GMs in the same period.

More critical: The Browns have had 28 starting quarterbacks since 1999, while the Lions have had 13, with Matthew Stafford starting the past 109 games dating to 2011. That stability has been critical, whereas the clown car under center in Cleveland has contributed directly to their awfulness.

Until you have a solid starting quarterback, you're going to struggle to be even mediocre in the NFL. The Lions are playing for a postseason berth in December, which is the stuff of dreams in Cleveland.

But give Browns fans credit for being good sports about it: If their team does finish 0-16, they have organized "The Browns Perfect Season Parade" sponsored by Excedrin. It's scheduled for Jan. 6.